Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery is about
half a mile South-West of the village of Krithia. It was made after the
Armistice by the concentration of smaller cemeteries and isolated graves from
the battlefields of April to August and December, 1915. It covers an area of
9,307 square yards; and it contains the graves of 679 soldiers (and sailors and
marines of the Royal Naval Division and the Royal Naval Air Service) from the
United Kingdom, 60 from New Zealand, ten from Australia, one from Ceylon, and
1,953 whose unit in our forces could not be ascertained. The unnamed graves
number 2,226 and special memorials are erected to 646 soldiers from the United
Kingdom, ten from New Zealand and one from Australia, known or believed to be
buried among them. These special tablets include the names of 142 officers and
men of the 1st Essex who fell on the 6th August, 1915, and 47 of the 1/7th
Scottish Rifles who fell on the 28th June; and it is probable that most of the
dead of some other units on those two dates are buried here as unknown soldiers.

The more important burial grounds
concentrated into Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery were the following:-. GEOGHEGHAN's
BLUFF CEMETERY, West of Krithia, between Saghir Dere and the sea. It contained
the graves of 925 men, and it was connected in particular with the Action of
Gully Ravine in June-July, 1915. FIR TREE WOOD CEMETERY, a little way South of
Twelve Tree Copse, near the "Daisy Field," where the 29th Division and
the New Zealand Infantry Brigade fought in May, 1915. CLUNES VENNEL CEMETERY, on
the South side of Krithia, where 522 soldiers were buried.

The New Zealand Memorial
commemorates 179 New Zealand soldiers who fell in the Second Battle of Krithia,
May 1915, or in July 1915. The greatest number of names are from: the Auckland
Battalion (59), Canterbury Battalion (49), Wellington Battalion (48) and Otago
Battalion (21). Most fell on 8th May 1915 at The Daisy Patch near Firr Tree
Wood.

LOCATION

Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery is in the
Helles area, about 1 kilometre south-west of the village of Krithia. On the
north-west side of the cemetery is Twelve Tree Copse (New Zealand) Memorial,
which takes the form of panels placed in the wall flanking the Cross of
Sacrifice.

- Killed 12th May 1915, aged 33.
- The insccription on his grave reads:"Unheard voices called to the West, Dinna forget"

Lieutenant Colonel W.J.Law 1/7th
Lancashire Fusiliers

- Killed 19th December 1915, aged 38.
- Croix de Guerre, mentioned in despatches.
- He was one of the few officers to reach the Kritihia Vinyard on 7th August
1915.

Captain K.M.Levi 1st General Hospital
Australian Army Medical Corps AIF

- Killed 7th August 1915.
- Mentioned in despatches.
- Graduate in Medicine of Melborne University.
- He was attached to 2nd Hampshires as their medical officer when
killed.
- Name listed in the British Jewry Book of Honour.

- Killed 28th June 1915, aged 57.
- First commissioned into 57th Foot in May 1878, and served in Zulu War and
Boer War. Severely wounded at Spion Kop, which left him lame.
- Recalled from retirement in 1914, and given command of 156th Brigade.
- Killed when his brigade assaulted the Turkish positions. The Bde lost 72
oficers and 1,281 men in this battle, including Lt-Cols H.M.Hannan &
J.B.Wilson of the Cameronians, mentioned elsewhere on this page.
- Lt-Col W.C.Peebles DSO wrote:" ... he personally led the last two companies [of 1/7th Cameronians]
by a forward sap, now marked sap 30, and was killed as the sap began to emerge
on to the surface level."

Second Lieutenant A.V.Smith VC 1/5th
East Lancashire Regiment

- Killed 22nd December 1915, aged 24.
- Son of William Henry and Louisa Smith, of The Chief Constable's Office, Town
Hall, Burnley. Born at Guildford.
- VC citation London Gazette 3rd March 1916:

" For most conspicuous bravery. He was
in the act of throwing a grenade when it slipped from his hand and fell to
the bottom of the trench, close to several of our officers and men. He
immediately shouted out a warning, and himself jumped clear and into safety,
but seeing that the officers and men were unable to get into cover, and
knowing well that the grenade was due to explode, he returned without any
hesitation and flung himself down on it. He was instantly killed by the
explosion. His magnificent act of self-sacrifice undoubtedly saved many
lives."